Cool News
Ridley Scott to direct film version of PERFUME!
Hey folks, Harry here... If you have never read the novel upon which this film will be based, beware of the paragraph that begins and ends with a Spoiler Warning... Otherwise, just know that this sounds a bit like a cross between Fritz Lang's M and LOVE POTION #9, which is just about the strangest damn crossing of two films I've ever heard, but then... I suppose that's why Scorsese, Tim Burton, Shekhar Kapur, Ridley Scott and Jeunet were all trying so desperately to get this thing. Makes scents... (Sorry, couldn't help it)
Howdy Harry-
Don't know if this might be of interest to you, but:
Ridley Scott is reported today as being attached to
direct a film based on Patrick Suskind's novel
Perfume: Story of a Murderer.
Click here for the 'official story'!
I read the book a while back and wanted to pass on an
idea of this particular project. The book itself was
written 20 years ago, but the author felt that only
Kubrick could do the book justice onscreen. After
Kubrick's death, Suskind was convinced to auction the
film rights. Various studios jockeyed for the rights,
with directors including Scorsese, Tim Burton, Shekhar
Kapur, and JP Jeunet all interested. After a fierce
bidding war, Constantin Films bought the rights alone
for somewhere between $5-10 million with Scorsese in
mind. So now, there's news that Ridley Scott
announced this as his new project.
So what's the big deal? What about this book makes
everybody go crazy? Here's the story of what it's
about (just a warning: some minor spoilers, with a
big spoiler at the end):
In 18th century France, a baby is born who has no
scent. He is an olfactory blank slate. As he grows
up, we learn that he has a perfect sense of smell. He
can smell something and instantly identify its place
of origin. One night, he smells something so perfect
and exquisite that he follows the smell throughout
Paris, and finds a 13 year old girl whose smell is so
perfect that he cant take it. He wants to posess the
smell, and so he kills her. He becomes obsessed with
replicating her smell, and will do anything to
recreate her smell. So a series of remarkable and
tragic events take place...
If they follow the book closely, this film is going to
be VERY controversial for a variety of reasons, but
primarily because of a scene toward the end (BIG
SPOILERS BEGIN) when, as he is about to hanged for his
crimes, he carries with him a perfume so perfect that
it causes the thousands of people there to
spontaneously have a an enormous orgy, one that will
make Eyes Wide Shut seem like a trifle. (END
SPOILERS)
The book is very cinematic (apart from its vivid
descriptions of smells), and I can see whey Kubrick
would have been interested. Ridley Scott will do a
great job on this; I can't wait to see the film's
visuals. I can just about guarantee that this'll be
one helluva ride.
Anyway, that's my two cents on this film. I hope it
gets made.
Call me Abulafia
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+ Expand All
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Well, it should be.
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Am I missing something here? I've read about 4 different stories this morning in regards to this film, and I *really* want to talk with someone who's read the novel upon which it is to be based, because this sounds incredibly silly. I was an English Lit. major in college, and I've read some truly awful things that pass for 'recognized art' because a few savants think that they're daring and provocative, but the author'd really have to sell me on this.... // e.
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The novel is by German author Patrick Suskind, whose slight output captivates professional critics and makes the rest of us go "huh"? If this story is for anyone, it's for Neil Jordan or Philip Kaufman, not Ridley Scott.
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This book was incredible--I read it last year, and I truly believe that, if done creatively, this could be an awesome film.
The only foreseeable problem is that so much of the book is spent describing smells and scents--I don't know if there is a real way to express these same things in cinematic form. We will see. -
I agree that this book really shouldn't be treated as a blockbuster project...it was a great book, but not something to be told on a grand, flashy scale. Neil Jordan or Philip Kaufman are much better suited to a story like this. I'd also encourage EricAlan69 to go out and actually read the book, rather than talk to people who've read it...shouldnt be hard to find. Glad to see interest in making a movie outa this book, but some things are often better left on the printed page...
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Though I haven't read the book, it sounds like a dark, yet undeniably Jean-Pierre Jeunet premise. It's got a classic European storybook atmosphere (City of Lost Children) with a light yet skewed view of murder (Delicatessan). Though Jeunet isn't known for his explorations of the human psyche (though anyone with the humanity to make a film like Amelie's got my vote), he's got just about every other nuance nailed down for a story like this. Alas, it is not to be. Sure, Scott does a better Alien movie than Jeunet, but that's where it ends.
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Admittedly I haven't read the book, but from the sound of it the film promises to be just the kind of pretentious, glossy tripe that Scott can pull out of his ass in his sleep. I can't wait for the movie review headlines for this one. "'Perfume' is a Stinker!"
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Alien and Blade Runner.
This guy hasn't made anything cinematicly brilliant in 20 years.
Oh I know, I know... "Gladiator won best picture!" Big deal, so did Forest Gump (vs. Shawshank & Pulp Fiction!) Gladiator is an overrated popcorn flick.
The premise sounds like a Jeunet picture to me. -
this would have to be a personal fave of mine in the category of 'novels yet to be filmed'.
i'm interested to know what narrative voice will be used.
god it would be AWFUL if they changed that great ending.
without kubrick, i'm really puzzled tho...
how the fuck are they selling this?
the book focuses entirely upon this wretched creature - and ridley's making a studio picture?
(surprise alarm fear) -
never better said
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The book is based in 18th Century Paris, and it's about a guy born with no personal odour, but the finest sense of smell in the world. He gets a job in a perfumiers, and while there learns how to make perfume. At the same time, he sees this beautiful girl whom he murders because her scent is indescribably lovely to him, he goes up and starts smelling her, she freaks out, you know the rest. He works out that that is all attractiveness is - a smell - so he resolves to create the ultimate perfume from the most beautiful girl in the world, and this will make him unbearably attractive and give him all that he desires (he has no smell himself, so no-one ever really notices that he is alive). And so he proceeds to get on with it. That's the set-up, pretty much. Very creepy little book.
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Is there any project that he is NOT attached to at this point?
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It's original and pretty chilling as well in terms of the main character. Maybe if it had been a comic book, you fuckers would take an interest. But as far as I remember, the book had no pictures so hey - no place for it in the world of film or AICN...
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They wrote a song about this book, y'know. sk
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I saw an interview on MuchMusic years ago in which he said he read this book whenever he was bored on planes, etc. In fact, Much has a regular segment in which they ask musicians about their favourite books, and at least two others have given this book (IIRC Geri Halliwell was one).
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if you're interested in the "bidding war" that preceded this announcement, check out "Rossini".
In this German film Heiner Lauterbach plays a producer who is modelled on Bernd Eichinger, Germany's most prominent producer
("The NeverEnding Story", "The Name of the Rose", "Last Exit to Brooklyn", "Resident Evil" and many more). He is trying to buy the film rights for a bestseller called "Lorelei" ( = "Perfume") from a shy and reclusive author ( = Patrick S -
I thought Scott officially declared that his next film will be TRIPLOI?! I think that is still the case. Maybe this will be next after Tripoli but then I thought that damn flick about the Crusades will be next (I hate that project because there is only one film about the crusades that should get made, and that is the Scharzenegger film CRUSADE!). The truth probably is that Scott is IN TALKS to direct this and maybe he will actually direct it in the next 20 years or so. Dont cream your pants just yet.
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Scott's a very good director when he has a good script, but "Perfume" will be a very tricky -- and time consuming -- adaptation. Don't hold your breath.
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I read this book two years ago and it was one of the best I've ever read (and unlike suggestions that AICN people only read comics trust me I read a lot of books. I'm and English Lit and Politics student you get through a lot of them) but this book was just the damned coolest thing I've read since 1984. Any book that can send shivers up your spine and make you feel as emotionally involved as a huge cinematic film is pretty fucking amazing. But I agree Kubrick should've done it. Ridley Scott is going to murder this and lose all sensitivity. It's going to turn into a simple psycho killer film rather than the compolicated emotional work that it is. Hey lets see what Peter Jackson is doing? Never know what the man might turn his hand to next. Yeah and sorry to be long but what song did Nirvana write about perfume? I'd love to hear it.
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A) A Narrator, ala Michael Horden (?) in Barry Lyndon, since Grenoille (?) is pretty much silent and so much stuff goes on his head
B) Some kind of abstract visual representation of the smells...like, if a waft of roses is coming through the air then we should see it as Grenoille smells it, so we can appreciate its beauty.
Mmm'kay, that's all. -
alternate title for movie: MY SHIT DON'T STINK.
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Not a big Nirvana fan am I, but a friend of mine kept pestering me with "Scentless Apprentice" while I was into "Perfume".
Now, I'm a bit confused about the Kubrick thing, though. All this time I was convinced the director S -
They should show this in Smell-0-Vision. Just for that big finale. Imagine watching a cool flick about a guy who doesn't smell but smells great.?. And the entire audience really gets into it. I mean REALLY gets into it. It would even put Rocky Horror to shame. Heh.
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Imagine the ticket sales if the smell o vision worked. Come see this film and get a mass orgy at the end of it. Every fat sad ugly film freak in the country would come just to get laid. That alone surely is enough to make it a hit.
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Ridley Scott is supposed to direct cool movies, like Alien 5, Tripoli, or Blade Runner.
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First of all, there was never any way in hell that Kubrick was going to make 'Perfume'. As far as I know he was never interested in the book, and if there was to have been another film after 'Eyes Wide Shut' it would probably have been 'A.I.' or 'Napoleon', either of which would still be many years away. I think Scott's perfect for this material, which deserves a sensationalistic and way over the top approach. Considering what he was able to do with 'Hannibal', I'd love to see what he does with infinitely better grand guignol source material. So get on it Ridley! You've gotta make more movies than Soderbergh!
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very much agree with narrator voice like 'lyndon' or even 'tom jones' - there's a very wry sense of humour - but who is that? there aren't any witnesses (Suskind goes to great lengths to kill them all off, or at least detail why they won't bring up grenouille). btw, I always saw that done like 'run lola run' - little snapshots of their various fates.
as for the whole 'seeing the smelling' issue, i guess there are lots of ways
i saw camera whipping thru streets of paris - which of course Moulin Rouge used to great affect.
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I have read the book, and it truly is an interesting and well written piece of literature. However, Hollywood needs someone to tell them that much like great video games, great books are great for completely different resons than great films are great. Great books really don't tend to make great movies. The only caveat to this "rule" is that occasionally a great director will take the foundation of a great book and make it his own, rather than try to simply translate it verbatim. I imagine Scott will produce something that just seems off the wall and fails to capture the core of Suskind's work which is very much period piece that makes critical commentary on the ideals of the Enlightenment and instead leave us with a story about crazy guy killing women.
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Apr 26, 2002 2:53:53 PM CDT
This sounds like the stupidest idea for a book, let alone a movi
by cooldan989
Ridley Scott will have to appear on screen and juggle flaming steak knives to make me see this movie.
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Apr 26, 2002 3:51:40 PM CDT
This is a strong race between a highly overrated book and an ex
by leolo
The worst thing in this crappy novel is that Suskind stole the idea for it. I think Suskind is the perfect example of beginners literature, it
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May I draw your attention that Mr Scott recently made a film based on a book both rich and gruesome, with a heavy European flavour, about a murdererous and sophisticated man with an amazing sense of smell. That movie was of course Hannibal, and he fucking it up in the very places where it most resembles perfume, viz; expressing the depth of Lecters senses and the profundity of his intellect. He smokes cigars, for God's sake, smokes and chews gum. A deadly mistake which ruined much of the movie for me. But I think he got perfume based on that movie. What we'll end up with is a a shallow gorgeously shot and framed euro postcard picture, with dull mannered characters and lots of operatic directorial flare but no..no..soul, or smell if you like. Shallow and superficial. But maybe he'll get Gary Olman as the perfumier, he'd be perfect.
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It's brilliant all right! I don't want to spoil the surprise, but he gets eaten by tramps on the last page. Ehm, ...major spoiler alert! Bit late. Sorry
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Maybe the narrator could be just like a historian who has pieced together the details he could about this unsung villain, or maybe just 'the voice of God'. I imagine the visual translation of his sense of smell as clouds of different colours on screen, visions of beautiful birds or forests, poetic stuff really. And I agree that Ridley Scott might not be the best guy for this job. I don't know, I think Spike Jonze would be a really good match. Plus: I really liked Scentless Apprentice, I really liked Perfume...I never put two and two together...duh
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I am not aware of a better film based on a worse novel.
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i love the man. i love Alien. i love Blade Runner. i love Black Hawk Down. i love Gladiator. i love Legend. i love Thelma & Louise. i will see anything, absolutely ANYTHING that Ridley makes.
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Apr 26, 2002 10:25:04 PM CDT
first of all, Ridley rules. i had to say it once more. second, w
by a goonie
in the end, i WILL go watch a Ridley picture NO MATTER WHAT. even if it's "Ridley Scott Shops For Shoes."
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Ridley should do something else. A Kubrick film yes, but not a Scott film. Remember what happened when he took out that SAG and in the trades and got into a little trouble with the women's groups. Course, then again, why didn't the women's groups speak up about Chandra Levy and Bill "Cigar Boy" Clinton cheating on his wiferoonie there?
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Why read? Its boring. Thats why I like movies and this summer i am going to see many many MANY MANY MANY MOVIES! so many awsome good ones this summer. Noone looks at a book anymore it is all TV and movies because that is what is good. hArRy rUlEz! -
that could turn into a really interesting flick...at least the basis is cool
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that projekt is known since the end of 2001 i guess...:)
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in adapting this book, thats a fact. it can be found in a couple of sources I dont have right here with me but I can search. But he dropped it. I dont think is such a great book but has some ideas that could be inteteresting to shoot. But not by Ridley.
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In the Michel Cimment book, one of the few books about Kubrick allowed and revised by kubrick himself (where he evn chose the pictures), when talking about EWS clearly states: During the 80
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You pass out these little scratch and sniff cards. Ridley could do it personally at some of the bigger theatres. "Scratch the baby butt" sub title cues. I can't wait for this one.
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First off, any idiots who are going to knock Ridley Scott or anyone for doing what sounds like "such a lame idea", should treat themselves to a library visit once in a while.
Luckily, most of the posts so far seem to appreciate what a cool film this could be, COULD BE.
If we get "The Duellists"-era Scott behind the camera I reckon it will work, but if its "Hannibal" (what a fickung bad movie) Scott then I really dont want to know. Just my opinion.
Personally Im with Sweetlow in thinking this is something Polanski would be ideal for.
The ending will be changed though, guaranteed...that was one of the most macarbe things Ive ever read in a book, dont think Hollywoods really got the balls to go that far. -
First off, any idiots who are going to knock Ridley Scott or anyone for doing what sounds like "such a lame idea", should treat themselves to a library visit once in a while.
Luckily, most of the posts so far seem to appreciate what a cool film this could be, COULD BE.
If we get "The Duellists"-era Scott behind the camera I reckon it will work, but if its "Hannibal" (what a fickung bad movie) Scott then I really dont want to know. Just my opinion.
Personally Im with Sweetlow in thinking this is something Polanski would be ideal for.
The ending will be changed though, guaranteed...that was one of the most macarbe things Ive ever read in a book, dont think Hollywoods really got the balls to go that far. -
I saw Kurt Cobain interviewed about books he read and he talked about Perfume with a lot of emotion. He said he read it over and over and he had this look in his eyes that you could tell he loved the book. Anyways, I read the book because of that but it took several tries because it was so disturbing. He said the song Scentless Apprentice was inspired by the book. With lines like, "He was born scentless and senseless/ He was born a scentless apprentice" and a chorous, which is screamed, of "Go away-get away, getaway, get a-way" he was able to capture "something" from the book in my eyes. The music is far from unplugged and I don't know how it would fit with 1700's (I think that is the time period). It is loud and spiralling and, again in my opinion, conveys intensity of the book. The words are written by Kurt Cobain but the music was a group effort by Nirvana (Cobain/Grohl/Novoselic).
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and Thelma & Louise, too. i am a Scott fanatic, currently hunting down all his movies and trying to get as many as i can on DVD. Gladiator is a great movie, even though less than three months ago, i would have told you i HATED it. Black Hawk is brilliant. very, very brilliant. Thelma and Legend and Black Rain are also great pictures. just had to mention that. can't sit by while others diss my hero. but at least you like Alien and Blade Runner (two of my favourite movies of all time).
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I read the book back in the late 80's and I remember the ending a little differently.
((Spoilers?)) Before he was to be killed he poured the "perfect" perfume on himself. The crowds become in love with him but it is too much and they rip him apart and devour him because they loved and wanted him so badly.
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I read the book back in the late 80's and I remember the ending a little differently. ((Spoilers?)) Before he was to be killed he poured the "perfect" perfume on himself. The crowds become in love with him but it is too much and they rip him apart and devour him because they loved and wanted him so badly.
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Amazing number of talkbackers contributing to a segment on a artsy, European, fag-sounding topic. But the response is more for Ridley Scott, isn't it? Ridley "My Checkered Career" Scott. I can imagine any number o directors tackling this odd-sounding story. Scott, of "The Duellists" infamy, ought to be able to do something with such material. So should someone like Neil Jordan. How about David Fincher? David Lynch? Cronenberg? The nut that did MOULIN ROUGE? It's a fantasy, right? What the hell. Put Steve Miner on it! Sam Raimi even! How about the director of that sorry CITY OF LOST CHILDREN? Hey, have it star Tom Cruise and maybe Tony Scott could tackle it!
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I like Scott...recently Blackhawk Down was well done. But he does well with straight up movies that don't stray from the norm. If I was to pick the number ONE director to handle the weird (not artsy fartsy weird ala' Burton) and NASTY that person would be David Cronenberg. Videodrome, Scanners ,The Brood, The Fly, Naked Lunch and eXistenZ add up
to the perfect choice. Besides
the fact that Cronenberg needs the work.
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It is like an adaptation of "Joseph and his Technicolour Dreamcoat" in black and white, or a silent version of "The Sound of Music", or even worse, a film about a nobel prize winning mathematics genius that doesn't talk about math: go figure. To base a film on a sense that the medium of film cannot express is redundant and will ultimately let the audiences down. I mean, isn't this obvious..... this gets greenlit and Gilliam's next is FUCKING CANNED. What FUCKING idiots......
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Someone said they remember the ending of the book differently. What occurs after the orgy and the protagonist's case is closed is he saves some of the perfume and douses himself with it. Everyone who smells him wants a piece of him and they literally tear him apart and devour him. If anything, I think that would be far more objectionable to squeamish audiences than a big sex scene. -
In my personal opinion, I thought the book was boring, predictable and gave very little to a reader other than how to torment people and animals. How on earth is Scott going to get certain things past the censors (murders, orgies, frenzies) and capture other aspects (Grenouille sitting in a tunnell for a long period of time)? Some things could translate easily to the screen but as much cannot and they are major story plots. I thought the book was a mediocre story with pretty sentances, the film will look gorgeous and be utterly snoozesome.
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